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Atlanta Fire Chief Suspended For Christian Views On Homosexuality

Atlanta Fire Rescue Chief Kelvin Cochran did the unthinkable: he published a book expressing his Christian views toward homosexuality and various other sexual sins. For this grievous offense, he must now be suspended for one month without pay, undergo sensitivity training, and keep his mouth shut if he ever wants to work again.

As LifeSiteNews reports, Cochran, a Baptist deacon and former Obama appointee as FEMA's U.S. Fire Administrator, published the book Who Told You You Were Naked? that explored the theme of being "naked" in the biblical sense of the word, which he emphasized meant as suffering "condemnation and deprivation" that can only be amended when people are "clothed with Christ."

His book also highlighted that various actions lead to a life devoid of God's blessings:

Sexual acts pursued for purposes other than procreation and marital pleasure in holy matrimony is the sex life of a naked man. When men are unrestrained in their quest for sex outside of God’s purpose they will never be fulfilled. Naked men refuse to give in, so they pursue sexual fulfillment through multiple partners, with the opposite sex, same sex and sex outside of marriage and many other vile, vulgar and inappropriate ways which defile their body-temple and dishonor God. This is the kind of sex that leaves a man continually empty–the sex life of a naked man.

LGBT activists didn't take too kindly to that passage and various other passages that referred to homosexuality as a "sexual perversion." In retaliation, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed had Cochran suspended for one month without pay and ordered him to undergo sensitivity training.

“I was surprised and disappointed to learn of this book on Friday,” Mayor Reed said on Monday afternoon. “I profoundly disagree with and am deeply disturbed by the sentiments expressed in the paperback regarding the LGBT community. I will not tolerate discrimination of any kind within my administration.”

The city claims they suspended him not for his private views, but because he published the book while identifying himself as the city's fire chief without the administration's permission.

“One of the most alarming things is that we did not know about the book when it was published," Reed's spokeswoman Anne Torres said.

District 6 Councilmember Alex Wan, who is openly homosexual, said, “When you’re a city employee, and [your] thoughts, beliefs and opinions are different from the city’s, you have to check them at the door.”

Stephen Borders, presidents of the Atlanta Professional Firefighters union, told the Journal Constitution, “The fact that he’s representing himself as a fire chief and bringing this into the fire department – to me that’s not the message we need to send to employees nor the citizens.”

Cochran told reporters he will fight back against the charges, but only after his suspension has been served.